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CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 



Committee on Militaky Affairs, 

U..^' House of Representatives, 
Washington, D. C, March 12, 1908. 

The committee met at li o'clock p. m. 

Present: The chairman (Mr. Hull) and Messrs. E. S. Holliday, 
James F. Burke, James L. Slaj'den, (leorge W. Gordon, and John A. 
Moon; also. Hon. AVilliam H. Taft, Secretary of War; Maj. Gen. 
William P. Duvall. and Messrs. D. M. Steward. Lewis M. Coleman, 
and T. C. Thompson, of Chattanooga, Tenn. 

The committee had under consideration the bill. H. R. 3870, to add 
10,000 acres of land, by purchase or condemnation, to the Chatta- 
nooga and Chickamauga National Military Park, and appropriating 
$200,000 for that purpose; and the bill. H. R. 4818, to add 20,000 
acres of land, by purchase or condemnation, to the Chattanooga and 
Chickamauga National Military Park, and appropriating $900,000 
for that purj^ose. 

The Chairman. There is a very small number of the members of 
subcommittee No. 1 present, but if any of the others come in they 
can take part in the hearing. We will now proceed with the hearing. 

Mr. John A. Moon. Mr. Chairman, there are two bills now pend- 
ing on this subject, but they both involve the same proposition. We 
will now ask the Secretary of War, Hon. William H. Taft, to first 
address the committee. 

The Chairman. Mr. Secretary, you may proceed. 

Secretary Taft. Mr. Chairman, I can not say much about this mat- 
ter, or at least what I have to say can be embraced within a very short 
space of time. 

In the AYar Department we are very anxious to secure in different 
parts of the country large tracts of land for maneuver purposes, and 
also for the ultimate establishment of brigade posts. There is no 
such tract of land in the South — that is, in the South as we under- 
stand it. There is a very large tract of land which we are cherishing 
and hoping some day to make into a very important post, and that is 
at Fort Sill, but that is so far west that it hardly comes under the 
description of being south. We have been anxious to secure, at as 
reasonable a figure as we could, a maneuver ground, which should be 
as large as we could get it. We thought at first that we might get 
15,000 acres in the neighborhood of Fort Oglethorpe and Chicka- 
mauga Park, but after having thought the matter over w^e concluded 
that we might just as well ask for what we needed and for what we 
wanted as for only one-half of what we needed and what we wanted. 
Accordingly, either I or General Oliver, I am not quite sure, although 





2 CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL" MILITARY PARK. 

I think it was myself, appointed a committee to go over the ground 
in the neighborhood of Chattanooga, or to speak more accurately, in 
the neighborhood of Chickamauga Park, adjoining or near to P'ort 
Oglethorpe, which has been carved out of the tract of land originally 
purchased as a national military park to celebrate the battles of 
Chickamauga and Chattanooga. 

Tlie committee made a very complete report and recommended 
the purchase of a tract of land ;^>2,000 acres in extent, which in every 
way, so far as I can judge from the report of the board of officers 
appointed, meets the requirements that such a military reservation 
ought to satisfy. It is a rolling, rough country; a good deal of it is 
in cultivation, but it is not so valuable but that the (jovernment can 
afford to buy it and hold it. It had two long ridges of varying 
heights running through it, and it is admirably adapted, as I under- 
stand it, for maneuvering work and also for the establishment of 
artillerv ranges and evervtliing that is needed to exercise all branches 
of the service. It also has land situated in such a way that we could 
construct almost a division post there — certainly more than a brigade 
post. It is at a point in the country that is well served by railroads, 
and it is in one division of the country that has no such large 
res'ervation. 

We need a large reservation in the southeastern part of the country 
and one in the northeastern part. When you go West they are more 
frequent. AVe have one at Fort Sill, one at Fort Sam Houston, one 
at Fort Riley, and in the neighborhood is Fort Leavenworth. These 
two together make a very useful connection of posts. Then we have 
one at Fort D. A. Ilussell and one at Fort Assiniboine. on the northern 
frontier. 

The Chairman, How about Fort Robinson? 

Secretary Taft. Robinson is another one in Nebraska, and we do 
need one on the Pacific coast if we could purchase it. The one at 
American Lake is admirably adapted, but I am afraid that the prices 
at American Lake — because it is becoming more and more a suburb 
of Taconui- — are likely to be so high as to be prohibitive unless the 
action is taken very promptly. I think American Lake in numy re- 
spects is the most beautiful tract of land in the country for purposes 
of this kind. It is not so rough as the country about Chattanooga, 
and perhaps that makes it a little less adapted to the service, which 
shall approximate or assimulate actual service, but these ^^)2,000 acres 
at Chattanooga, if we could have them, could be used to great 
advantage. 

Mr. HoLiJDAY. How much? 

Secretary Taft. Thirty-two thousand acres. 

Mr. HoLLiDAY. How much have you there now. INIr. Secretary? 

Secretary Taft. We only have part of Chickamauga. How many 
acres are there in that Fort Oglethorpe Reservation? 

General Duvall. Eight hundred acres. 

Secretary Taft. I do not understand the price at which it was 
taken, but it was taken from Chickamauga Park. I think the Chicka- 
mauga Park Commission allowed it to be taken and alloAved Congi'ess 
subsequently to confirm it. 

The Chairman. Virtually all of the officers of the AVar Depart- 
ment at that time violated all the law, and my good old friend Boyn- 
ton aided and abetted them. The Committee on Appropriations re- 



H 6 li^. j 

D. or a 



v.." 



CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 3 

^"^lieved Bovnton, aiul apin^alod to all the rest of us to do so on the 

o ground thai they would never do it again. Now, Mr. Secretary, here 

^ are two l)il\s, one proposing to add 20,000 acres for $900,000 and 

the other i)r\)posing to add 10,000 acres at a cost of $200,000. Is it 

'i intended to try for both of them? 

Mr. John A. Moox. Allow me to explain. These bills cover the 
same general purpose, and that was simply a figure put in to have 
something in the bill. We did not know really what amount ought 
to be put in the bill and we left it to the connnittee to ascei-Uiin from 
the proof. 

Secretary Taj't. The price fixed by the oi)tion is $921,000, with an 
assurance that they could prol)ably get the whole tract at 20 per cent 
less. 

The Chairman. Neither of these two bills, then, are in shape to be 
reported ? 

Mr. John A. Moon. Neither of these bills are in the shape that we 
want to pass them or want the committee to pass them. AVe want 
the committee to pass such a bill as we prove before you the facts 
justify, with sjiecial regard to the testimony of the Secretary of 
War and the officers of that Department. ' 

Secretary Taft. Major-General Duvall, who is present to-day, was, 
at the time this matter was mooted, in command as brigadier-general 
of the department, with headquarters at Atlanta, and he went over 
the ground. He was appointed on the board with officers of other 
branches of the service, he himself being an artilleryman, and we 
have, therefore, the best expert evidence as to the character of the 
ground. 

There is some question about the water, but General Duvall can ex- 
plain that, I am quite sure. There are a great many springs there, 
and at Oglethorpe they have artesian wells, so I have no doubt that 
the water supply can be made what it ought to be. I think some of 
the water that was examined proved to be, well, unhealthful, to say 
the least, but I believe further investigation showed that good water 
was easily obtainable. 

Mr. Slayden. The artesian well water is all good there. 

Secretary Taft. Yes, sir; that is good — that is. in Chickamauga 
Park. 

Mr. Slayden. It is contiguous property? 

Secretary Taft. That is all I have to say, Mr, Chairman. I did 
not go over the ground personally, because I did not think it would 
add either to your information or mine from an expert standpoint. 

Mr. Slayden. We would like to know something about the price 
of that land per acre, but Ave can get that from these other gentlemen, 
I suppose. 

Secretary Taft. Oh, I ought to say that beginning as we did 
begin in the War Department — and we do not wish to lose any infor- 
mation that can help us to a result — we consulted gentlemen in Chat- 
tanooga who are naturally interested in having so large a post as this 
would come to be established in their neighborhood, and Colonel 
Steward, a veteran of the civil war, and who is very familiar with 
land there, and who has had to do, I think, with the purchase of 
land at Chickamauga Park, has said that he thought we could pro- 
cure options for this land in such a way as to enable us to make a 
definite proposition to the committee, and accordingly he exerted 



4 CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL, MILITARY PAEK. 

himself with the committee from Chattanooga to secure options and 
information Avhich would enable them to state exactly what the land 
could be purchased for, and those gentlemen are here — interested both 
in having the Army properly situated and in having proper maneu- 
vers everywhere, but not without the enthusiasm that comes from an 
intimate knowledge of the locality. [Laughter.] 

STATEMENT OF MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM P. DUVALL. 

Mr. John A. Moon. Mr. Chairman, I now present Maj. Gen. Wil- 
liam P. Duvall. 

Major-Oeneral Duvall. Mr. Chairnuin and gentlemen, the Secre- 
tary of War has given in broad lines a very accurate description of 
this tract of land, but I might add to it, perhaps, a few interesting 
details. First, I have been all over this tract of land; I spent two 
days on it. The first visit Avas made soon after we got our order — I 
think that came (uit the latter part of November, 1906; Ave Avent there 
early in December. The other members of the board Avere Colonel 
Kerr, of the Twelfth Cavalry, who is just about to be made a brig- 
adier-genei-al, a man of experience in the cavalry; another member 
was my chief quartermaster, Colonel Hodgson, one of the best quar- 
termasters we have, and a third member was Captain Donnelly, now 
of the Field Artillery. I was president of the board. We went over 
the ground Avith Colonel Steward and other gentlemen from Chatta- 
nooga ; one of thenu Mr. Payne, Avas, I belicAe, immediately employed 
in getting these options at that time; they had obtained options on 
only that part of the tract which Avas intended for maneuvers — that 
is, the part south of the Kinggold road reaching OA^er to opposite the 
head of Chickamauga Park and running north and south, which is 
the tract that the Secretary has just described. 

Mr. Slayden. Hoav many acres are there in that tract? 

Major-General Duvall. At that time the^^ had secured options on 
a little OA'er 18,000 acres, but our board, desiring to run it up to the 
crest of the ridges, as I will explain in a fcAv moments, options were 
therefore ()l)tainod on tAventy-three thousand and some odd acres. 
The tAVO valleys that the Secretary has described are separated by a 
ridge, and Avhat Ave Avanted to do Avas to liaA'e the options obtained 
up to the crests of Iavo parallel lateral ridges, to east and Avest, run- 
ning parallel to this middle ridge. The eastern ridge, Taylors Ridge, 
is quite high, rough, and precipitous; the other is not quite so much 
so. The purpose Avas that in case Ave had large forces maneuvering 
in there Ave could very readily see the limits of the reservation, and 
Avould not be so likely to commit trespasses on priA^ate lands, thereby 
entailing expense, etc. It Avas considered necessary to secure both of 
these valleys, separated by this ridge, for the purpose of maneuA^ers, 
because if the tract Avere confined to a single A^alley — there being little 
rise and fall in the north and south lines of this tract — you Avould be 
able to see over the entire tract Avherever you were, and you Avould 
not get the benefit of good maneuvers at all ; the enemy would be in 
sight all the time; Avhereas, with tliis interposing ridge, if you sent a 
force down to the loAver end of the tract, 9 miles off, by night, say, 
you Avould have to discoA^er the enemy just the same as in actual Avar — 
vou would not knoAv Avhere he Avas. 



CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 5 

Of course, Ave all know about tlio climate. It is deli^ditful — just 
under the thirty-fifth parallel. The winters are short and mild, and 
the officers who are stationed there — Colonel Kerr and other officers — 
tell me there is scarcely a day the whole winter throu^-h when they do 
not drill. That, of course, Avould be a o-reat advanta<^e. 'J'here would 
be no loss of time. We could do work there at all seasons of the year. 

As to the soil, it is mainly of a material — that is, the top soil — com- 
posed of Avhat they call chert, a formation of disintegrated flint; the 
rain ])ercolates throu*Th it almost immediately. "We went a month 
later than this first visit, right after a heavy rain, to see what the 
effect would be both as to the water supply and the soil. It was most 
satisfactory. I do not think that ovei- "the whole tract we saAv as 
much as an acre of mud. , 

There are a few little marshy places, but they are negligible; they 
are so few and small that they really need not be considered. The 
tract is accessible, as the Secretary has said. There is good railroad 
service into this section of the country. The tract of land which we 
recommended to be added to the big tract they had first got options on 
is nearer the reservation at Fort Oglethorpe (Avhich is intended to 
be developed into a brigade post), and connects with Chickamauga 
Park. We considered this to be necessary in order to giA^e a means of 
getting from the post itself onto the maneuA^er ground and back 
without going off our OAvn land. The average price per acre of the 
first big tract optioned— this 18,000 acres — was $18.20, but Avhen they 
got options on the other land near Fort Oglethorpe (a great deal of 
it is more valuable land, some of it being under cultivation as fruit 
orchards, etc.) thev ran the price up, so I think the average price 
of the Avhole tract of 32,000 acres is $28.20— $10 an acre more than the 
other — although, as the Secretary has said, the gentleman avIio made 
the report, Mr. Payne, and Avho obtained all the options, states that he 
has no doubt the Avhole tract, if it Avas purchased, could be got for 20 
per cent less, which Avould bring it down to $737,000. 

On this second visit, made after this severe storm, the Avater supply 
in these big springs was just as pure and clear as it Avas the first time. 
There Avas not the slightest bit of sediment or other visible taint 
about it, shoAving that it came from a source that is not contaminable 
by surface impurities. As the Secretary has said, there is one spring 
that they reported on, and to Avliich they gaA^e a black eye, the Mar- 
tin Spring; but it should be remembered, in justice to the tract, 
that those samples of Avater Avere obtained down there and sent up 
here for analysis. In other Avords, the person Avho analyzed them does 
not know exactly Avhat the lay of the Avater Avas or what kind of 
place it came from, Avhether it Avas from a spring in Avhich leaA'es were 
rotting, or where; but the general report of the Avater supply Avas 
most favorable. These are beautiful springs, one of them as large 
as this room — the biggest spring that I eA^er saw, except the one at 
Bellefonte, Pa., and it is almost as big as that. 

I can say that all of the officers of this board Avere perfectly 
enthused about this tract of land. I may add that I was at the West 
Point maneuvers in Kentucky in 1903, sent there officially, as an 
obserA'er, and saw eA^erything. I Avent OA^er that tract repeatedly. And 
in the summer of 1904 I Avas chief umpire in the maneuA'ers in Cali- 
fornia at the Henry ranch, Avhich is a very beautiful piece of country, 
and I also witnessed the American Lake maneuA^ers that year, and I 



6 CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 

do not think there is any comparison, from a military point of view, 
in the vahie of these three tracts. In other words, I think the 
Oglethorpe tract is. much the finest, much the best, of the three, nor 
are my remarks at all influenced by the audience. I would say the 
same if I were at American Lake or in California. 

The land, immediately contiguous to Fort Oglethorpe, which was 
recommended for options, and on a large part of which options were 
later secured, was mainly for the expansion of the post. It is suita- 
ble for that. It is gently rolling and adapted for building, for 
drilling grounds, and for ceremonies. It is not large enough for 
extended-order drills; these we proposed to have on the maneuver 
grounds. There is a part of this land next to Fort Oglethorpe — 
the part that runs innnediately west up to the top of the crest — which 
was recommended to be purchased simply for sanitary purposes, 
to protect the water supply. Colonel Steward is quite well posted 
on the geological formation down there, much better informed than I 
am, but I know that the general idea was that in order to insure the 
purity of the water supply for that large post we ought to own the 
land up to that crest because it is probably the top of the watershed 
for that whole country, and if you get water from artesian wells and 
do not own that land, for the purpose of keeping out fecal matter 
and other contamination, the water supply might very likely be 
defiled. 

The Chair:man. I do not understand that this reservation is in- 
tended to fill only the want of that section of the country. 

INIajor-General Duvall. No, sir. 

The Chair^ian. You referred to the Henry Ranch and other 
ranches. I understand that the pi'oposition for their purchase was 
on the same lines as this, but in another section of the country. 

Major-General Ditv'all. Exactly so; yes, sir. I meant to say that 
some people might think that I am speaking so enthusiastically about 
this tract because there are a number of gentlemen here who are repre- 
senting it, and I wanted to say that that did not make any diti'erence 
with me. I am convinced that the Oglethorpe tract is much the best 
of the lot. and from what the Secretary said, that we have no tracts 
in that i^art of the country, I think it is the one that should have 
precedence in consideration. 

The Chairman. Is it proposed to have a large maneuver grounds 
and camj) site in the State of Washington and another in Cafifornia, 
or just one? 

jSlajor-Cxeneral Duvall. Only one on the Pacific coast. 

Secretary Taft. The competition is between the Henry Ranch and 
the American Lake. 

The CiiAiRiLvx. They are se])arated, Mr. Secretary, by about 1,200 
or 1,500 miles, are they not ? 

Secretary Taft. Yes, sir. 

Major-General Duvall. Mr. Chairman, I do not think of anything 
else of interest to say, but if there is any other information that I can 
give I would be very glad to have it brought out by questions. 

Mr. BiiRKE. I understood you to say that the land could be pur- 
chased at less than the amount stated in the options? 

Major-Cxeneral Duvall. My statement was based on the report of 
Mr. Payne, a young lawyer in Chattanooga, who knows these people — 
T rode with him over this tract and found that he knew the name of 



CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 7 

every landholder in the section and has reported the names on the 
map that has been put in — and has a very intimate knowledjze of the 
conditions with respect to prices. In his" report he stated specifically 
that he has no (lonl)t the land conld he acqnired at a reduction of 
20 per cent of this $<)21.0()0. which Avonld l)rin«r it down to $7:'>7.()00. 
Mr. Patton sugfrests that there is an advantafjo also in having this 
tract so near the battlefield there. That is a fact. 

Secretary Taft. It is all in (xeorgia. is it. General? 

Major-Cieneral Duvali.. Yes, sir; all this land is in (Jeoi-gia, in 
Catoosa County, 

I forgot to say anything about the roads. There is a very fine 
road, a Government road, running from Chickamauga Park through 
Ringgold Gap, which therefore runs through the northern part of 
this added tract and along the northern border of the big tract, the 
maneuver tract. That road is in just as fine condition as any road in 
Chickamauga Park. It is as beautiful a road as you will see an}^- 
■\vhere. In the eastern valley, between Taylors Ridge and Chicka- 
mauga Hills (the middle ridge), there is one very good road that 
runs the whole length of the valley. In the other valley, between 
Chickamauga Hills and Peavine Ridge, there are two parallel roads 
running the length of the valley, not quite as good as the others, but 
nevertheless good county roads; very good for maneuver purposes 
at any time of the year. Across the ridge between the two valleys 
there are half a dozen roads not shown on the map. This is a very 
unsatisfactory map. I mention this to show that from one valley 
to the other there are numerous connecting roads, which add to the 
admirable features of the tract for the purpose of maneuvering. 

That is all I care to say, Mr. Chairman. 

Secretary Taft. Mr. Chairman, would you like to have in your rec- 
ord a copy of the rej:)ort made by that board of officers? I do not 
know what you have it, and if you have not we have it here. 

The Chairman. It Avould be well to have it in the record. 

Major-General Ditvall. I would say that the one I have was sent 
by General Oliver to the chairman of the Senate Military Commit- 
tee, and I could get it cmly on a promise that I would return it to-day. 

The Chairman. If it is to be printed, it is not necessary that it 
should go in this record. We can get it. 

STATEMENT OF COL. D. M. STEWARD, OF CHATTANOOGA. 

Mr. John A. Moon. ^Mr. Chairman, I desire to introduce Col. D. 
M. Steward. 

]ih'. Steward. ]Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the conunittee, the 
Secretary of War and General Duvall have together made my speech. 
GeneralDuvall is the only real-estate agent in the party. The Chat- 
tanooga people are not real-estate agents at all; but if we were we 
could not have made a more conclusive argument in favor of this 
land, or the purchase of this land, than that advanced by (ieneral 
Duvall, and it confirms my opinion of him as a soldier. He evidently 
understands his business. I speak from the standpoint of a veteran 
soldier. 

I just want to say by way of preface that the reason for the appear- 
ance of myself and these other gentlemen here is simply this, that we 
represent a 'body of commercial men in Chattanooga, called the 



8 CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 

chamber of commerce, that takes up any public movement whatever 
looking- to the good or the welfare of Chattanooga and vicinity, and 
when we first heard of this movement for the establishment of a bri- 
gade post and maneuver ground in our vicinity we certainly would 
have been asleep if we had not taken advantage of it from a selfish 
standpoint, if you please, to bring everything to our city that could 
legitimately be asked for. 

As to my own connection with the matter, I had the honor to be 
appointed chairman of this committee, as 1 was chairman of the 
previous committee that had to do Avith the establishment of Fort 
Oglethorpe, from my personal acquaintance with the ground, and 
Avith Chickamauga Park, and its military history, etc. 

Now, to be as brief as possible, and to give you the points from the 
business man's standpoint, as well as from the standpoint of a veteran 
soldier, I have here some nuips that were prepared in connection with 
this matter. The first one is a map showing the latitudinal lines 
decided upon by the General Staff, I think three years ago, perhaps. 
In discussing this question we got hold of the knowledge in some way 
that the General Staff had decided to establish brigade posts, dividing 
into four grand divisions the entire country. The grand division in 
the Southeast comprises, as j^ou see, almost the entire South, with 
the exception of Texas; it takes a little slice off the eastern portion of 
Texas, and Chattanooga is the geographical center of that grand 
division. It follows that in handling the troops that w^ould neces- 
sarily be sent from the various States of the South to this maneuver 
ground that the Government and the States would look to the 
economy of moving the troops there by troop trains, and the expedi- 
tion with which they could be carried to this maneuver ground and 
returned to their homes. "We have nine trunk lines, I think, and we 
have twelve railways centering at Chattanooga. There are, I think, 
five trunk lines running from there to the seaboard. It has every 
advantage in the way of location that could be desired. Xow, this 
other map is one that was j^repared very carefully. It is a sectional 
maj). It shows every bit of land, every quarter section of land in the 
entire reservation, as surveyed by this board of which General Duvall 
is president. 

The CnATR>rAx. It is a topographical map. is it? 

Mr. Stkwaiid. Yes, sir; it shows the contours and all the eleva- 
tions of mountain ranges, hills, and valleys, and shows, moreover, 
the location of all these springs. 

I want to say a word, while I am on this line, with reference to 
the water supply. I am familiar with (^uite a large part of our 
country and I can say without fear of successful contradiction tfiat 
there is no tract of land of the same number of acres, or even a 
greater numl)er of acres, in this country that can affoi-d a water 
supply that will anywhere equal the water su])ply of this tract of 
land. The one spring referred to by General Duvall is on Avhat is 
known as the " Yates tract." There are three or four farms there 
that are owned by a family of })rothers by the name of Yates, and 
there are five or six of these .s])rings of enormous size on these farms, 
and the one spring to Avhich General Duvall referred, the width of 
the opening at tlie bottom of a hill is fully the length of this room 
and the height of it is ])rol)ably 18 inches — that is. the water is 18 
inches deep, and it is about the length of this room, emerging from 



CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 9 

undor that rooky hill with a force of a Niagara pump; it resembles 
the discharge from an enormous pump. 

The General is quite correct in saying that the water is perfectly 
pure, even after a hard rain. I can confirm that and go a little 
further. After one summer of three months' rain, almost continu- 
ously day and night — and these gentlemen froui ni}'^ section will 
corroborate what I say — the sunmier was a rainy summer, it rained 
and rained ** cats and dogs " all the time, and just about the time 
the rain ceased I asked the party of gentlemen connected with the 
chamber of connnerce to go over that ground with me; there are 
none of those gentlemen present who were with me on that trip, but 
some of the officers of the chamber of comuierce and a member of 
the board of directors went along. We had two carriages and there 
were half a dozen of us, and it consumed a whole day. It is about 
a 60-mile ride, as the General knows ; it takes a full day to go around 
over even a small part of it. The three streams referred to are on 
the map and are the east and west branches of the Chickaniauga and 
the Pea Vine Creek. All three afford very fine drainage for the 
whole tract. Those streams were so full of water that they were 
out of their banks, and at one of the fords that we were compelled 
to cross the members of the party had to climb up on the back seats 
to keep from getting a good wetting. There was water, water every- 
where. The springs were just as clear wdien we reached them as the 
air you breathe. 

Now, that was after three months' rain. There was not a sign of 
turbidity, not a single speck or fleck of mud or anything of the sort. 
NoAv, that proves to my mind conclusively, and to the mind of anyone 
else who has seen these springs, that they have their origin at an im- 
mense depth, beyond any possibility of contamination, as has been 
referred to by Secretary Taft and General Duvall. And, further, with 
reference to this Avater question, I made it my business last year when 
I was up here to go to the Bureau of Chemistrv of the Army, where I 
had an hour's interview with Doctor Hodge, m order to fortifv mv- 
self with points on the water question. I wanted to have the report 
elucidated ; it was very technical, and I wanted to get it into language 
that a layman could comprehend. Doctor Hodge assured me that it 
was the purest water that the Bureau of Chemistrv had ever analyzed. 
The point made by General Duvall that the water was taken from the 
spring there and brought here and probably analyzed after four or 
five or six days, would make quite a difference in the analysis, as you 
will understand, of the water after having been obtained in warm 
weather, too. But the water as it emerges from these springs, I was 
assured by Doctor Hodge, roidd he used hi/ the troops with hnpunity 
and that it icoiiJd not he necessdry at all to sterilize the water or to 
treat it in any manner; the water just as it comes from the rock there 
could be used with i)erfect safety. There is a water supply there for 
150,000 men. There are no less than 'iO large springs on the tract. It 
i.s a most remarkable thing. 

As to the one spring, tlie Martin, that the (xeneral alluded to, I 
think there might be an objection to the water, but I can very easily 
explain that : The Martin Spring, if you remeuiber. General, the lay 
of the land, was at an angle somethiug like that [indicating 30°], 
sloping back from the spring up to the top of a ridge there and form- 
ing a basin or watershed, the spring being at the base of it. Now, 



10 CHATTANOOGA AND CHICK AMAUGA NATIONAL MILITAEY PAEK. 

■while the spring Avas perfectl}' clear, as far as that is concerned, yet 
it is very easy to see that if a little protection had been throAvn up 
above the spring on the rock at the back of the spring to shut the 
Avater away from there you would get none of the surface Avater in 
it, which is accountable for this report of the chemist. The water 
in that spring was, of course, contaminated by surface water flowing 
into it. That is very easily seen. The Doctor remarked that possibly 
some of those springs would be better if they were surrounded by 
concrete basins, laid in cement or something of that kind, to prevent 
the inflow of surface water that might possibly carry some contagion 
that might be detrimental to the health of the men. 

Now. as to the rifle range and artillery ranges, I remember very well 
the remarks of the gentlemen of that Ijoard of officers as they passed 
over that ground repeatedly — what an admirable place it was; hoAv 
delightfully located, as far as flnding good places for rifle ranges was 
concerned. One woidd remark, '' There is a good place in that little 
valley there,"' and another Avould say. " There is another on that side," 
and so it Avas all OA^er the place. You w^ould not haA^e to go, as the 
troops at Fort Oglethorpe noAv have to go. 10 or 12 miles for target 
13ractice. They go out and stay tAA'o or three Aveeks. There are some 
of them now^ on that reservation that the GoA-ernment paid $10,000 
for. XoAA', that rifle range there Avould not compare Avith a number 
that could be made on this tract of land. Then, again. General Duvall 
Avill reinemlier that avc found a number of places AAdiere ranges for 
artillerv, field artillerv. could be readilv had, having- a rancre of from 
3 to 6 miles to a mountain range at the back as a butt, so as to pre- 
clude the possibility of the ricochetting of any shells or shot to the 
injury of the population there. 

The Secretary of AVar and the General have almost coA^ered the 
ground entirely, and they have done it in such a masterly Avay that it 
Avoukl be presumption on my part to undertake to supplement Avhat 
they have said. I only allude to these things that they liaA^e not touched 
upon or have not fully explained to you. As to that AA^ater supply, I 
regard it as one of the greatest importance, and the Avater supply is 
absolutely pure. It is not necessary to drill any lioles there. 

I Avant to say, further, in explanation of that that the formation of 
this tract of land is entirely different from Avliat it is at Chickamauga. 
The Avhole tract of 7.000 acres or more, about 8,000 acres, including 
the reservation of 8.000 acres on which Fort Oglethorpe stands, is of 
a diti'erent formation geologically. The rock crops out in many 
places on the battlefield of Chickamauga, and in some places it comes 
AA'ithin a foot or tAvo of the surface, and that is, of course, coA^ered 
AA-ith earth which is composed of decaying vegetable matter, etc., and 
AAdiat is washed on there, and after it rains it becomes A'ery muddy 
and is a very disagreeable place in Avhich to handle troops or to handle 
Avagons or anything of that sort; I knoAv that by experience. This 
other tract is entirely dillerent; it is rolling and is drained by these 
three .streams that floAv through it from south to north, and the char- 
acter of the formation, as has been stated by the (xeneral, is cheit. It 
giA-es them an admirable range. In the course of an hour after a hard 
rain the men can be drilled in skirmish drills and lie doAvn on the 
ground Avithout soiling their clothing at all. There are millions of 
tons of the bent road-making material in the Avorld there. It makes 
beautiful roads, and the men can be maneuA-ered all over that land, 



CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 11 

and 3'ou can get on this tract of land almost any kind, of situation 
that would confront 3^ou in actual warfaiv — hill, valley, and stream. 

The C'haiumax. You must have pretty thin soil ^ 

Mr. Steward. I beg your pardon; there is none of that on this 
tract at all. 

The Chaikman, There is not any amount of depth of soil, is there? 

Mr. Steward. That is in Chickamauga, on the other side, west of 
Chickamauga. It is entirely different, as I have stated; it is a differ- 
ent formation altogether. The rock comes close to the surface, and 
what little soil there is there in a continued rain would make it jjretty 
mudd3\ The Seventh Cavalry was there for several years near 
Chickamauga. That is not awfully bad at the worst, bnt it is a flat 
ground to the east end of the park, and even there the\' got along 
very well ; still, I would not advocate the use of water from the wells 
there for the reason that the limestone formation that is under the 
soil is seamed with cracks and crevices, and for that reason the 
General said he advocated the purchase of the land innnediately ad- 
joining Fort Oglethori)e, and which controlled the Avater supply from 
the watershed there from the top of Missionary Ridge. It flows down 
through this limestone formation, which was tested by the surgeon 
there at P^'ort Oglethorpe not a great while ago. 

Mr. John A. Moon. You are talking now about the land we pro- 
pose to buy ? 

Mr. Steward. Yes; that is what I am talking of now — this 6,000 
acres adjoining the post. The 24,000 acres is on the other side of 
these streams and to the eastward of Chickamauga Park and south 
of Ringgold road, along between Taylors Ridge on the east and 
Chickamauga Park on the west. That is a different formation 
altogether. 

Mr. John A. Moon. Was there anv difficulty with regard to the 
land that we are talking about buying? 

Mr. Steward. No; there is water there for 200.000 men — a never- 
failing suppW. The General will remember that Mr. Yates, the old 
gentleman who has been living there for sixty years, went with us 
down to the spring and the General asked him this question : '■' Does 
the water suppl.y of this S})ring ever vary; does it run down and the 
spring get low in the summer?"' The old gentleman said: " Xo, sir; 
I have been here over sixty years and I never saw it any less or any 
greater in volume than it is now." It is very constant and shows 
that it comes from a very great depth, and it is absolutely pure. 

I do not know, gentlemen, that 1 have anything else to say, unless 
you desire to ask me some (juestions. 

There being no further questions, Mr. Steward was excused. 

Mr. Steward. Mr. Chairman. T forgot something in the course of 
mj' remarks, and I will refer to it briefly. I want to assure the gen- 
tlemen of this committee that this measure meets with the approval 
and has the backing of the entire Grand Army of the Republic. I 
have here in this envelope pajiers — I will not trouble you to hear 
them — but take niy word for it as a veteran that they bear the in- 
dorsements of the post of the Grand Army of the Republic, the 
members of Avhich came to me voluntarily. As soon as they heard 
of this movement they immediately fornndated resolutions and in- 
structed their Representatives in the Senate and in Congress generally 
to vote for and to approve this scheme for the establishment of 



12 CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 

brigade posts and inaneuver grounds. I will not read this letter, 
but it is a communication from the commander in chief of the Grand 
Army of the Republic a^Dproving this measure in the warmest terms, 
and saying to me that he had instructed the chairman of the commit- 
tee on legislation to use his best endeavors to see that the Moon bill 
was passed, and so I beg to assure you that your own constituents at 
home will a^jprove your action in passing this bill or in approving 
it in this committee. 

Mr. Chairman, I wish to say by way of explanation that these 
options on the 32,000 acres of land were obtained by a young lawyer 
employed b}^ myself and working under my directions. He was 
born and brought up near Ringgold and is personally acquainted 
with nearly everybody in the county. I used the name of one of 
my su])erintendents in my business in order that the owners of the 
jjroperty might not become excited and run up the prices, as they 
might have done had they known that the land w^as wanted by the 
Government. In this way a great saving was undoubtedly made 
and prices established at their actual value. 

Mr. Chairman. I believe that the vast fund of information regard- 
ing the stud}^ of the battlefields, of which there are a number besides 
Chickamauga within easy reach of this reservation, would be a con- 
stant source of study for young officers and soldiers stationed at Fort 
Oglethorpe. 

As chairman of the committee in charge of this work, I am in re- 
ceipt of very many letters from citizens and soldiers of the civil war, 
who, without a single exception, give their hearty support to the 
movement for establishing maneuver grounds, as Avell as a brigade 
post, at Chickamauga. As a sample, I wish to read an extract from 
one letter. 

OfFICK of ('OMMANDf:R IX CHIEF, G. A. II., 

Kuiisias City, Mo., December 26, 1U07. 
I lujte the contents of yonv letter nnil am favorable to the location of a 
brijrade army jiost at ("IiicUaiuanita. and will refer yonr letter to the coniniittee 
on lef,'islati(in, of which (Vmirade I. (J. Kimball, Washinii't(»n, D. C. Is chairman, 
with instructions to haxc the committee do what it can to secnre the enactment 
of the Moon bill. 

Yonrs, fraternally, C. G. Burton, 

Coiiiiiifindcr in Chief, G. A. R. 

Mr. John A. Moon. Mr. Chairman, I believe there are no other 
gentlemen who desire to be heard. 

(The coumiittee thereupon adjourned.) 

STATEMENT OF MR. LEWIS M. COLEMAN, OF CHATTANOOGA, 

TENN. 

Mr. Coleman. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, 
I appear here to rej)resent a feature of the service, as well as my 
friend. Colonel Steward. I belonged to the home guard, in 1861, 
at the age of about three months, or less than that, when the great 
civil war began, and I held Charlottesville against the arms of both 
sides, and later I Avent down to that God-forsaken country of Han- 
over, down near Richmond, and there I protected against the travel- 
ing qiuirtermasters of both armies the finest set of switch horses 
under the front porch that a young boy ever saw. 



CHATTANOOGA AND CHIOKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 13 

Now, gentlemen, it is true that we of Chattanooga might be con- 
sidered to have some interest personally and ])eeuniarih^ in this mat- 
ter; you will pardon that, hut the rising generation of the South 
has a greater interest in that park, we believe, even than those who 
took part in the civil Avar. We have been entirely regenerated. I, 
myself, am indebted to Chickamanga Park for the greatest ha])piness 
of my life. My father fell on the battlefield of Fredericksbui-g, and 
I went to the great city of Chattanooga, then a mere struggling vil- 
lage, and I found soon after I arrived there that the daughter of 
a staff officer of the Kock of Chickamanga had come down from 
the North and had again overpoAvered us, as they had done before, 
and I surrendered absolutely and unconditionally. So I say to you, 
gentlemen, that I s])eak to you as a broad-minded American citizen, 
because I am absolutely controlled by a daughter of a staff' officer of 
the Kock of Chickamanga. 

We of Chattanooga are extremely patriotic. I live right in the 
middle of the park on Lookout Mountain, right on Cranes Terrace, 
and from my front porch I can easily look out at Mission Kidge, 
stretching its long miles of turf to the east of Chattanooga, and I 
admit to you gentlemen that I sometimes Avonder if Stonewall's 
Brigade had been on top of that ridge if it could ever have been 
taken. But then I go beyond that and look at the great battlefield 
of Chickamanga and there I see almost a draAvn battle, though it 
technically Avent to the South, yet practically a draAvn battle, shoAv- 
ing the chivalry and the manhood of this nation : and so it is that 
we jDcople of Chattanooga feel that we are as patriotic, if not more 
patriotic, than any people in this country. 

NoAv, looking oA^er that field, and knowing from experience in the 
civil war — or rather from history — that the South had the early 
advantage from the fact of its citizen soldierl}^- — and that is an his- 
torical fact — and also remembering the fact that in that little scrim- 
mage that Ave had with Spain Ave collected a lot of the rawest, green- 
est, and most aAvkAvard squads of men that ever pretended to be in 
arms, and with that in mind, with those facts in view, and remem- 
bering the history that you all have read of the struggle.s of William 
the Silent, when he built up the Netherlands from the sea, and re- 
membering hoAv the handfull of Philip's troops from Spain put to 
flight, murdered, and almost exterminated those brave Dutch — T say 
that sometimes it gets into my mind that even as great a nation as 
we are, we might be subjected Avith our raAv soldierly to an exter- 
mination never, but to suffering and to a loss for which no Govern- 
ment should feel responsible. 

When I was a young man in the South, and Avent all over this 
country, we had State troops. Each State took a great pride in its 
militia. They each had a separate army; they each had different 
kinds of uniforms and Avere proud of it. They had contests, one with 
another, but when the nation took OA'er our militia and formed a 
national guard all that competition was eliminated and Ave are now 
simply a part of the great Army of the Union. 

Now, the statistics will tell you that those militia troops are not 
full; they are not as thin as the Regulars, but they are not filled up; 
and noAv I want to say to you that it seems to me that one great object 
of this maneuvering grounds, not only this but other maneuvering 
grounds, is to bring together this great A^olunteer soldiery of our 



14 CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 

country and to make soldiers of them, and not have, should we ever 
become involved with another nation, this herd of untrained, inex- 
perienced, unhealthy men cr6wded together which must be dissemi- 
nated before they have been trained to be real soldiers, and in the 
meantime our nation must suffer. 

Now, it seems to me that hei'e we have a chance for the nation to 
throAv open these maneuvering grounds and to invite them to come 
and to pay the expenses (I know it has not been done at this Con- 
gress, but it may be) of these organizations of volunteers and the 
National Guard in the different States, have them brought here and 
taught real soldiery. 

Now, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, if you will 
look back to the collecting together and the reconnoitering of the 
troops in the Spanish-American war, and look at the disease and the 
delay caused by the greenness of these troops you must learn this 
lesson. And why should we wait until our shores are attacked by a 
foreign enemy to learn it? Why should we not train them on this 
maneuver ground? So I say to you, and I believe it must be ad- 
mitted here, that these maneuver grounds are suitable for the pur- 
pose ; that they are cheap, and therefore I need not argue that to you, 
but we feel — we young men who w^ere born in ISOl and have grown up 
to love our country — feel that the Government of the ITnited States 
ought to make this the first line of her defense — yes, it is not only the 
first line of her defense, but it is the great line of her offense, and we 
must trust to the citizen soldiery to protect our country, and to do it 
we must train them. Why, we had some maneuvers on the battlefield 
of Chickamauga about tw^o years ago, and this is no play; this is no 
summer vacation that these men went down there to. The Virginia 
regiment, the North Carolina regiment, the Alabama regiment, and 
the Mississi))pi regiment came there, and under the tutilage of the 
gallant Twelfth Cavalry and under the tutilage of the general officers 
brought there by the Government they were put to work and worked 
for two weeks harder than any of them ever did, and yet when they 
left and we said, " We hope we may see you back," they said, " We 
have learned more about soldiering here in two weeks than we had in 
three years at home." 

It is for this purpose, gentlemen, that we ask you, not as Chatta- 
noogans, not as Southerners, but as American citizens that you do 
your duty and in this way help to build up the volunteer soldiery, the 
safeguard of our nation. 

STATEMENT OF T. C. THOMPSON, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENN. 

Mr. Thompson. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I am not a very 
much younger man than Mr. Coleman, but I was a member of the 
infantry during that gTcat civil conflict to which he referred, but in 
the language of our great cavalry leader, now I'ecognized by all men, 
Mr. Coleman got here the first with the most men and spoke my 
speech. 

I Avould like to detain you but for a moment, sir, as T am an officer 
of the first line of defense, now so called in the War Department, of 
the volunteer soldiery of the United States, and to give you a con- 
crete illustration of the necessity for a maneuver ground, we recently 
had the problem, should a foreign foe land on the Pacific slope, try- 



CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK. 15 

ing to make its way to Washi no-ton, how lono- it would take the Ten- 
nessee troops to move from NashviUe, the capital of the State, to 
Chicaofo, the i)oint where we might he ordered, and intercept it. I am 
not at liberty, even before this distino-nished committee, to give the 
result, as worked out, of that ])roblem, but it was agreed by all of us 
that one-half of the time that we would consume in making that 
movement would be due to our ignorance of handling large bodies of 
troops, due to the fact that we had no maneuvering ground on which 
we could be instructed how to handle those troops. 

Now, I think it is a recognized fact that the militia is going to be 
taken care of by the Government, and just as essential as it is to the 
Regulai- Army to have its maneuvers it is even more essential that the 
militia should have it. 

I would speak to you then from the standpoint of a son of an 
American soldier, and I think no man in the sound of my voice 
would controvert the fact that any man may be proud of whatever 
was done at Chickamauga, whether his father wore the blue or the 
gray — and when you can send men from all over this great country 
to a central point where they can maneuver on a battlefield over 
which 100,000 American soldiers fought for two days and two nights 
with a casualty of 33 per cent — up to that time the most unheard of 
casualties in modern warfare — the inspiration that they would draw 
from that is worth all that the Government might expend. 

There is a monument at the entrance of Chickamauga Park dedi- 
cated by the State of Kentucky to the soldiers of both armies, which 
bears a pathetic inscription — which is truly American — and which 
appears on the face of that monument, written by a man who had 
two sons in that battlefield, one a colonel in the Confederate cavalry 
and the other a captain in the Federal cavalry, and both sons fell 
there. 

So that aside from the business part of it, it strikes me as an officer 
of the militia and an American citizen that there is a certain amount 
of sentiment that should be taken into account by this committee, and 
that is the inspiration which would influence all .voung soldiers in 
going to these maneuver grounds. 




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